Kakashi's Kids
by RedRedRosy
Summary: Kakashi died as Hokage. This is how Sasuke remembers him.


You always knew everything

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did Sasuke would have never left, Jiraiya wouldn't have died, I would have been able to see White Fang fight, and Iruka would be dead. **

**A/N: This story is told in Sasuke's P.O.V. Kakashi died in battle. Sasuke was rescued from Orochimaru by Team 7. And I hope you enjoy. **

You always knew everything.

It's sad to know you're gone.

My teacher, my friend, my father, forgive me. I should have never left. I should have been here with you and Naruto and Sakura. I should have been here to save you.

I heard you fought bravely, I guess not much has changed. You always fought that way and you were always ready to fight even if you were shaking with fear. It's sad really.

"The title Hokage is a promise to die to protect the Leaf, isn't that right?"

I can't believe that I have the nerve to say that now. Not after you saved me. It doesn't seem right. The joy in my voice seems so out of place. Naruto and Sakura give me a look that says that now is not the time for idle jokes. I think you would have enjoyed it.

You always did have a silly sense of humor. I never would have believed that you'd actually accept the title of Hokage; I always thought you were meant to be on a battle field, fighting an endless fight.

Sakura is crying, again. Naruto no longer has any shine in his eyes. They're broken.

"Why did we have to be on a mission? Why couldn't we be here to help him?"

Naruto always did ask impossible questions. Looks like I'm the one who needs to answer.

"He'd only tell us to stay out of the fight anyway. There's nothing we could have done."

Naruto looked to the ground before bringing his gaze back up to the name on the memorial stone. The tears were building in his eyes.

"We could have told him no. We could have stopped him."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I watched their faces. A tear rolled down Naruto's cheek as he decided to try conversation one more time.

"Never thought it'd hurt this much. Perverted teachers always do manage to hurt the most. Don't they?"

"Yeah, but Kakashi was always a gentlemen to a lady." Sakura felt she needed to add some dignity to his name.

I couldn't help it. The way we were talking about him made him seem weak.

"Kakashi was a warrior. He lived and fought for one purpose. He wanted to protect this village and all the people in it. He was a true Hokage and he shouldn't have died!"

I can't believe I'm this affected by his death. To shout like that towards Naruto and Sakura…I now know just how hurt I am.

"Sasuke I know he meant a lot to you, but we're hurting too. We know he was a warrior."

"Wrong, Naruto. He wasn't a warrior he was a fighter. He…wasn't supposed to die."

I'm breaking and they can see it. They know that I looked to Kakashi as a father more than a sensei. He knew it too, so why would he be foolish enough to die.

"Seems Kakashi's youthful life is at an end."

Great, Gai is here.

I guess I have no right to tell him to leave. He knew Kakashi a lot longer than we did and he can honor that memory a little further back.

Naruto and Sakura are trying to compose themselves, but I finally let myself fall to my knees in front of the stone. Gai just doesn't know when to stop talking. He kept going.

"It's funny how Kakashi's name would end up on the stone that brought him so much pain. It really sad, that he couldn't see how much all of you cared for him. I think he'd be happy."

A tear slid down my face. My eyes widen when it did. When was the last time I cried?

"Gai, Kakashi was hurt, we never found out why or how. Tell us."

I managed to keep my voice straight while my back was turned away from him; we were all facing the stone, staring at a name that would never be forgotten.

"Well, I though you all knew. Everyone Kakashi ever loved was taken from him. They went one by one to the other side. There's never been anything that was really steady in Kakashi's life. It was either broken or never there. By time he was 14 they were all gone. The last one to go was Rin, a girl from Kakashi's genin team. She died and he felt that it was because he couldn't protect her. After that Kakashi served this village with everything a man could offer.

"He led sabotage missions, assassination missions, recon missions, etc. He ended up in the hospital a lot, but he never slowed down. He just kept going and going. I couldn't keep up, even when we were kids. Kakashi was bound to die on the battle field. It's how he wanted to go. No other way would satisfy him."

So that was it. That was the story of the great Kakashi Hatake. Somehow I knew Gai was holding back important information, but right now the fact that he was gone stung far too much to want to continue conversation.

I was still sitting on my knees and was vaguely aware that they were beginning to hurt.

I was now seventeen. I was an elite ninja. I was a protégé. I was a useless piece of scum that couldn't even save one of my most precious people. It hurt, _bad._

I stand and turn to face the family that I ran away from. They look at me and I see no reaction to them seeing me cry, they already knew how much I hurt because they felt it too.

"Naruto, Sakura. I want to go home."

Gai did nothing. He stood there and watched us leave. I knew he would be there for a good remainder of the day. I was surprised by what I heard him say.

"A warrior, a fighter, a rival, a teacher, a father, a leader, a friend, and now you've become a legend. Congratulations, you've won our final battle and I can never challenge you again. But I still promise to take care of your kids."

_Thank you. _

I could have sworn that was Kakashi's voice in the wind.

**The End**


End file.
